Awards

• Commended for Young Adult Canadian Book Award 2013
• Winner of Libris Awards (Young Readers) 2013

Overview

Devotion turns deadly in this second Gothic thriller from Kenneth Oppel. When does obsession become madness? Tragedy has forced sixteen-year-old Victor Frankenstein to swear off alchemy forever. He burns the Dark Library. He vows he will never dabble in the dark sciences again--just as he vows he will no longer covet Elizabeth, his brother's betrothed. If only these things were not so tempting. When he and Elizabeth discover a portal into the spirit world, they cannot resist. Together with Victor's twin, Konrad, and their friend Henry, the four venture into a place of infinite possibilities where power and passion reign. But as they search for the knowledge to raise the dead, they unknowingly unlock a darkness from which they may never return.

Full Product Details

9781442403185

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Reviews

Vividly descriptive language and further development of complex main characters keep the narrative intense and engaging.... The improbable doesn't seem so impossible thanks to Oppel's impressive storytelling ability. -- The Horn Book

Vividly descriptive language and further development of complex main characters keep the narrative intense and engaging.... The improbable doesn t seem so impossible thanks to Oppel s impressive storytelling ability. -- The Horn Book

* Printz honor-winner Oppel skillfully portrays [Victor] as both a troubled teen and the boy who would become Frankenstein. Addictions and lustful encounters add another layer of sophistication to the gothic melodrama. A standout sequel and engrossing ghost story. -- Kirkus Reviews , starred review

Oppel's second book in The Dark Endeavor Chronicles is every bit as thrilling and engaging as the first one.... Oppel's character development is exceptional, and it is clear that he has done his research. The book draws readers in from the beginning and continues to create suspense as the characters go in and out of the spirit world, where dark creatures lurk. Fans of both Oppel's first book and Shelley's original work will not be disappointed. -- VOYA

Everything readers love about Oppel is here: his fierce intelligence; baroque but concise prose; developed, unsentimental characters; and ability to keep his eye on the prize--in this case, the stubborn, yet somehow still likable, character of Victor and his slow road to becoming Mary Shelley's mad scientist. -- Booklist

Author Information

Kenneth Oppel has published more than fifteen books for children. In 1995, he won the Air Canada Award for the best Canadian writer under the age of thirty. Formerly Books for Young People Editor at Quill & Quire magazine, he now writes full time. He lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife and children.

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